Monday, December 13, 2010

Who Knew?

Man caught naked in
Mississippi cemetery
trying to take pictures of spirits.

Who knew? I guess lots of people must have known. Even I knew. But because it took so long to surface I had almost forgotten. The “war” in Afghanistan actually did and does have a purpose. It was, as the “war” in Iraq, all about oil, in this case an oil pipeline that will bring billions of dollars worth of oil to India while by-passing Iran. Karzai has now signed an agreement to allow the construction of this pipeline that will, among other things, have to pass through territory currently controlled by the Taliban. I guess that pretty much explains why our troop withdrawal has been put off until 2014. In fact, it will probably be put off completely as in the case in Iraq. So it is that we have “won.” Or, more specifically, the oil giants have won. There is apparently no sacrifice of lives or money too great to satisfy the needs of the giant oil industry (and the U.S.). There is little doubt that we will maintain our presence in the Middle East until some potential day in the future when the oil there is exhausted. Well, at least this seems to indicate that President Obama was not entirely crazy to maintain the “war” in Afghanistan or remain a presence in Iraq, he did have a purpose, no matter how hidden or dishonest for so long. I wonder what will happen when our “empire” collapses? But let’s not worry about the long run, short term profits are all that matters.

The Senate is set to pass the Obama/McConnell tax bill tomorrow. So the Senate, having now demonstrated their almost overwhelming lack of conscience, will send this terrible bill to the House. It is most likely the case the House will pass it also, with perhaps some minor tinkering here and there. How anyone with a mind above the level of chipmunks or squirrels can vote to add 900 billion to the national debt in order to give tax breaks to the wealthiest 2% of the population, plus giving them billion dollar windfalls on estate taxes, is utterly, even fantastically, beyond my comprehension. I’m completely with Bernie Sanders on this, it is absurd, ridiculous, and unnecessary. There will probably be a few votes against it but more likely than not the majority will go along with the gag because, after all, “there is no other choice.” There is another choice, they can vote it down and then insist on passing a more reasonable tax bill, but that, of course, would involve some courage, something in very short supply in our nation’s capital. Democrats are apparently worried that if taxes on the middle class increased they would be blamed for it. How that could be I do not know as it is more than crystal clear where the blame lies in this disgusting business. Either Democrats don’t trust their ability to communicate with the public or they believe the public is too stupid to know what has been going on. As an aside, what has happened to Denis Kucinich, he’s been remarkably quiet for a long time.

If ever there was an abuse of power the Julian Assange case would seem to be it. He has been arrested and held in jail even though he has not been charged with a crime (other than some rather ridiculous “rape” charge that obviously has nothing to do with any ordinary definition of that term), and will probably be extradited to the U.S. to face some newly fabricated charge, all because of pressure the U.S. is exerting on Sweden and the U.K. This case would be somewhat amusing if it were not so tragic. Here we have American Congresspersons calling for his execution without any trial, without knowing all the facts, without any consideration of the assumption of innocence until proven guilty and so on. I am not a lawyer but I seriously doubt that legally there is much of a case, or even any case, against Assange, but legality seems to have been abandoned in the U.S. during the Bush/Cheney era and seems to continue even now.

I never thought I would see my country in as bad a condition as it is presently, but, then, I never thought, even in my wildest thoughts, I would see and hear Vladimir Putin sing “Blueberry Hill.”

LKBIQ:
Honesty may be the best policy, but it's important to remember that apparently, by elimination, dishonesty is the second-best policy.
George Carlin